We took pictures of our room that we will be staying in for 5 days. It is very nice and comfortable.
Maui
We arrived in Maui 1-28-09 in the afternoon. We went to the car rental at the airport and, SURPRISE, they wanted us to upgrade to a ford mustang convertible. But do not fear my friends and family, we did not fall for it again. Instead we went with the car that was initially assigned to us. It is a blue Chevy cobalt, 2 door. We were pretty excited that it was small and easy to drive... and then we realized that the Chevy cobalt is Maui's ford mustang convertible. EVERY TOURIST has it. O well... I guess we just have to own up to it and be tourists for a while!
National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
Before we flew out of Oahu (1-28-09), on our way to the airport that morning we stopped by the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
"Also known as the "Punchbowl", it lies in the middle of Puowaina Crater, an extinct volcano. It was officially dedicated on September 2, 1949, on the 4th anniversary of V-J Day. Of all the national cemeteries, this one has been described as the most beautiful and the most moving.The cemetery consists of 112.5 acres in extent. Roughly translated, "Puowaina" means “Consecrated Hill” or “Hill of Sacrifice.” The Punchbowl was the site of many secret Alii (Royal) burials. It was also the place where offenders of certain kapas (taboos) were sacrificed. In the early 1800’s the crater was an important stronghold for Oahu natives who tried in vain to resist the invading Army of Kamehameha when he unified the Hawaiian Islands in 1810. The kingdom established by Kamehameha existed until Queen Lilioukalani was deposed in 1893."
http://www.interment.net/data/us/hi/oahu/natmem/
The most amazing part of the visit was that we could not see any other visitor. The grounds crew were out doing maintenance but other than that it was just Dustin, me, and the brave souls of the pacific.
The plaques were posted around the memorial.
"Also known as the "Punchbowl", it lies in the middle of Puowaina Crater, an extinct volcano. It was officially dedicated on September 2, 1949, on the 4th anniversary of V-J Day. Of all the national cemeteries, this one has been described as the most beautiful and the most moving.The cemetery consists of 112.5 acres in extent. Roughly translated, "Puowaina" means “Consecrated Hill” or “Hill of Sacrifice.” The Punchbowl was the site of many secret Alii (Royal) burials. It was also the place where offenders of certain kapas (taboos) were sacrificed. In the early 1800’s the crater was an important stronghold for Oahu natives who tried in vain to resist the invading Army of Kamehameha when he unified the Hawaiian Islands in 1810. The kingdom established by Kamehameha existed until Queen Lilioukalani was deposed in 1893."
http://www.interment.net/data/us/hi/oahu/natmem/
The most amazing part of the visit was that we could not see any other visitor. The grounds crew were out doing maintenance but other than that it was just Dustin, me, and the brave souls of the pacific.
I thought these trees were awesome. They are found all around the grounds. Don't the look like they were cast in the Lord of the Rings??
The plaques were posted around the memorial.
All along the sides going up the stairs the ivory colored walls are engraved with soldiers names on them. They form small rooms with trees planted in them. It appears that people come and place necklaces or flowers in the trees in honor or remembrance of their loved one on the trees that are nearest their names.
SUSHI at Sansei's...YUMMY
Last night (Tues 1-27-09) Dustin and I asked around to find a good sushi restaurant. I first tried sushi in St. Paul MN with some girlfriends and have loved it ever since. Being from ND I don't get a chance to eat the good stuff very often. I did try it once in Grand Forks with Mom and Ken. It was awful.....right mom?
Dustin's first experience with sushi was with his cousins Sarah and Johnny in Sacramento. There was much eaten and lots of sake to go around. And of course with good sake comes GREAT conversation. Thanks again Johnny and Sarah!
We wanted to share our dining experience with all of you so... we took pictures and got the menu descriptions of what we tried.
The seventh and final course was Matsuhisa Style Miso Butterfish (Tender butterfish marinated and roasted in sake and sweet miso.)
Dustin's first experience with sushi was with his cousins Sarah and Johnny in Sacramento. There was much eaten and lots of sake to go around. And of course with good sake comes GREAT conversation. Thanks again Johnny and Sarah!
We wanted to share our dining experience with all of you so... we took pictures and got the menu descriptions of what we tried.
Our first course was from left to right; Island Style Seafood Poke Sampler (Ahi, Salmon, Tako, Maui Onions, Tomatos, Wakame and Kiaware Sprouts tossed in Poke Sauce), Edamame (immature soybeans baked, cooled, and lightly salted), and Sansei's Special Sushi Role (Spicy Crab, Cilantro and fresh veggies, dusted with Funkake and serviced with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce).
The second course was Traditional Miso Soup
The third course was Panko Crusted Ahi Sashimi Sushi Roll (Sashimi grade Hawaiian Ahi, Arugula and Spinach wrapped into a sushi roll, panko crusted , flash fried and served with Sansei's mild soy wasabi butter sauce.
The fourth course was Japanese Calamari Salad (Calamari fritte tossed in spicy kochujang vinaigrette over nalo greens in a crispy won ton basket.)
The fifth course was Sansei's Asian Shrimp Cake and Miso Garlic Prawns (Sansei's award winning shrimp cake crusted with crispy chinese noodles and grilled miso garlic prawns, served with ginger lime chili butter and cilantro pesto)
The sixth course was Sansei's Lobster and Crab Ravioli (ravioli stuffed with sweet lobster, blue crab and shrimp , served with rich truffle butter sauce.) This was the first time that Dustin and I had either tried a real truffle.
The seventh and final course was Matsuhisa Style Miso Butterfish (Tender butterfish marinated and roasted in sake and sweet miso.)
Hello Everyone!
After only 1 full day on Oahu we have learned some very valuable lessons as tourists. We were lucky enough to catch some on film so I have created a check list. Hope you all can learn from our successes, failures, and others faux pas!
By the way…. It’s, Wed76°F 70°F Thu76°F 63°F, Fri76°F 70°F, Sat76°F 68°F.
Enjoy!
After only 1 full day on Oahu we have learned some very valuable lessons as tourists. We were lucky enough to catch some on film so I have created a check list. Hope you all can learn from our successes, failures, and others faux pas!
By the way…. It’s, Wed76°F 70°F Thu76°F 63°F, Fri76°F 70°F, Sat76°F 68°F.
Enjoy!
1.) DO NOT choose a ford mustang convertible (of any color) for a rental car. It SCREAMS tourist. We got suckered in. I was so excited to get a convertible and then after driving through the parking lot of the Pearl Harbor Memorial and seeing every other tourist car being a ford mustang convertible I felt used by the car company.
3.) DO NOT give the people that are people watching something to look at. Case in point, DO NOT squat in a skirt while taking pictures and DO NOT take a nap on a bench were there are a few thousand people milling around.
4.) DO take advice from locals as to where the best restaurants are. ( Sansei Seafood Restaurant and Sushi Bar)
5.) No matter how highly recommended by locals, DO NOT eat at a restaurant that has pigeons dinning with the guests. (even if the guests exclude small children and elderly that tend to drop food unknowingly on the floor). And a bit of advice for the pigeons of the world… If you happen to find a restaurant that allows you to dine with their guests, watch your toes as there seemed to several peg legs!
Really hungry + native cuisine = Not a good Idea
We checked into our Hotel tonight at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani on Waikiki Beach. It is literally in down town Honolulu. After we settled ourselves we were starving from a long day of travel, so we splurged and ate at Burger King across the street. Hey... sometimes you have to be safe. I have included pictures that have the city in the background. As Dustin and I get ready for bed (we have an early morning tomorrow) we can here the live music in the streets. Hopefully it will lull us to sleep.
Below is a picture of Hawaii when we arrived today. It was windy and raining. The rain stopped shortly after we got there. We went to get our rental car and the rental associate gave us an upgrade to a Ford Mustang Convertable! Maybe I shouldn't fix my hair tomorrow. I will let the wind blow dry it!
Here we are testing out the zoom on the camera... and making sure the pilot is OK. We had a 3 hr. layover in San Francisco.. needless to say we got a little bored. We flew on a 777-200 from San Francisco to Hawaii and a 757-200 from Denver to San Francisco. Here is a link to view the size and seating charts http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/United_Airlines/United_Airlines_Boeing_757-200_A.php
